Process of treating the fibers of textile material



E. GMINDER March 17, 1931 PROCESS OF TREATING THE FIBERS OF TEXTILE MATERIAL Filed Nov. 11, 1926 E ..m m r mb Fig.5 7

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COOLER mm im m m W s b R 3 m a M 9 Ti g.5 J7EE TCf/ER g Q\Q/9\ C/OOL El? f- Patented Mar. 11, 1931 PATENT OFFICE EMIL GMINDER, F BEUTLINGEN, GERMANY PROCESS OF TREATING THE FIBERS OI TEXTILE MATERIAL Application filed November 11, 1926, Serial No. 147,854, and in Germany November 30, 1925.

This invention relates to a new method for fiber-refining like that which is produced by the swelling of vegetable fiber material under the action'of alkalies or acids.

6 The process is specially designed to improve the mercerization. It has become known that the mercerization eflect is the better the lower the temperature of the mercerization liquid is, this being probably due to the 10 fact that at lower temperature the swelling efi'ect can be obtained in a better and more perfect measure, the destroying influence of the mercerization liquid not having to be feared. The higher the temperature of the mercerization liquid is the sooner begins the destroying influence of the swellin agent and destruction of the cellulose is e fected rather than merely the swelling. It has been proposed to improve the mercerization rocess by cooling in several baths during t e mercerization. In all these tests it has been overlooked that a considerable amount of heat was developed by the efi'ect of the wetting liquid on the fiber as well as b the process of stretching so that during t e cooling of the mercerization liquid the heat produced upon and in the fiber could not be neutralized at all or only to an insignificant degree.

The process which will be hereinafter described shows a wa to do away with the heat from reaction uring the impregnating treatment as well as with the heat produced at the stretching. The process consists in conducting the fiber material over cooling surfaces subsequently to the impregnating with the liquid and subsequently to the squeezing out. Another possibility is to construct the stretching mechanism as a refrigerating device over which the material is conducted.

The process may be carried out, for instance for the treatment of pieces of fabric, as follows: The piece of fabric is stee ed in lye, squeezed out and then conducte over cooling cylinders from which it passes through the stretching field of the neutralizing device. This process alone brings the great advantage that'not all the lye has to be cooled but only the lye contained in the material, so that the piece of fabric can consequently be maintalned at a much lower degree of tem erature than is possible when, as has been t e case n to the present all the lye has to be coole The effect of the process is even much more favorable if the cooling begins only with-the stretching process or durmg the same so that not only the heat produced at the action of the lye upon the piece of textile material but also the heat produced at the stretching of the piece of textile material saturated with lye is 'tion shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of a chain mercerizing machine.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: shows a form of construction for cooling a continuous web of material on both sides.

Figs. 5 and 5a show in side elevation and top plan view respectively an arrangement for the intentional production of a shrinking at the end of the process.

Figs. 6 and 6a illustrate in similar views to Figs. 5 and 5a an arrangement for the production of shrinking in the directions of the weft and of the warp.

Referring to Fig. 1 a, a a are the stretching cylinders, b, b are the cooling cylinders and g is the textile material conducted over the cylinders of the two groups.

, In Figs. 2 and 3 the piece of textile material conducted between the clutching chains is designated by g and 6, b 6 are the cooling elements over or under which the piece of textile material passes.

In so-called chainless mercerizing machines, in which the stretching field consists of spreading-out cylinders, the cooling is cooling cylinders, cylinders.

preferably effected by conducting the piece of textile material between the spreading-out cylinders over a cooling cylinder.

In chain mercerizing machines, in which the stretching field is formed by two clutching chains diverging in the direction of travel fiat cooling elements are preferably arranged under or over or on both sides of the piece of textile material,

As shown in Fig. 4 the textile material 9 passes over a number of cooling cylinders a and over a cooling cylinder A arranged at a variable distance from the cooling cylinders a so that the stretching of the material may be varied. The textile material is cooled on both sides.

In the processes, which have been described above, the neutralizing procedure has not been taken into consideration, as it is carried out in the well known manner, for instance by diluting the mercerizing bath by addition of hot water, when the mercerized materialis still in the stretching field. The mercerizing effect is made permanent by this treatment and shrinking is prevented.

much more effective preventing of shrinking can, however, be. obtained and carried through in the same way as the cooling of the textile material if, instead of the treatment with hot water, dry heat is applied.

With this object in view the textile material is conducted over heat radiating elements, in a similar manner asover the cooling elements, for instance over hollow cylinders which are internally heated by steam or heated liquids.

ccording to the invention the textile material issubmitted during the stretching to dry heating whereby the shrinking of the mercerized material is prevented as this shrinking occurs onl at low temperature.

The degree of shrinking can be regulated at will by stronger or less strong heating.

.If the shrinking has to be completely suppressed, diluting of the Inercerizing liquid by hot liquid may be employed, besides the heating by hot cylinders.

This process makes it further possible to make the mercerizing eifect produced on the first cooling elements permanent for a certain part and to combine the-same with a shrinking adapted to be regulated in the manner indicated in order to make the mercerized material more dense. In this case it is advisable to arrange cooling cylinders also following the heating cylinders in the stretching field. Following these smooth there are no stretching By the smooth cooling cylinders a shrinking in the direction of the weft and, eventually by a reduced delivering velocity, also a more or less great shrinking in the direction of the warp is obtained.

streams Several diagrammatical illustrations in Figs. 5, 5a and 6, 6a serve to explain the character of this working procedure.

The textile material 9 is alternately conducted over stretching cylinders a, a a and cooling cylinders b, b and then, in order to neutralize with dry heat, i. e., to counteract the shrinking process, the material is conducted over an internally heated hollow cylinder e, behind which a stretching cylinder a and a cooling cylinder 6 are arranged, the material being then con- \ducted over a smooth cylinder z which rotates at slower speed whereby the tension is reduced at the end of the proceeding and a compressing or shrinking is intentionally permitted.

In a similar manner alternate in Fig. 6 firs-t stretching cylinders a, a a a a with the cooling cylinders 12, b heating cylinders e, 6 being then arranged instead of the cooling cylinders. passing over these cylinders is mercerized, heated with dry heat, hot liquid being finally sprinkled onto the same through nozzles f.

I claim 1. A process for the treatment of woven textile material which includes subjecting the goods to the action of a shrinking liquid, and thereafter subjecting the material to a series of alternate cooling and transverse stretching actions.

2. A process for the treatment of woven textile fabric which includes impregnating the fabric with a mercerizing liquid, squeezing out the excess liquid, and thereafter subjecting the fabric to a series of alternating cooling and transverse stretching actions.

3. A process for the treatment of woven textile fabric which includes impregnating the fabric with a mercerizing liquid, squeezing out the excess liquid, and thereafter alternately cooling and transversely stretching the fabric a plurality of times.

4. A process for the treatment of woven textile fabric which includes impregnating the fabric with a mercerizing liquid, squeezing out the excess liquid, thereafter alternately cooling and transversely stretching the fabric a plurality of times and thereafter heating the fabric.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

EMIL GMINDER.

The textile material 9 

